It was amazing to see someone with so much dedication in his life.  Mr. Michael did a tremendous job in acting with great honor in the film "The Blind Side." This movie honored someone in my life. I was only a few months old when my family had to leave our own home in Somalia and go to a refugee camp in Kenya because of the ongoing civil war. I lived in a refugee camp for 16 years, but someone was with me my whole life and never gave up on me, it was my mother.

Living with my mother and my two siblings demonstrated a new perspective, because I come from a cultural background where females aren't allowed to go to school, and my mother always told me that I can be whoever I wanted to be in my life.  But I didn't believe it, because I realized that whenever I went to school, my dreams were destroyed by people who didn't care. All my life I have had a dream to work in the medical field, so I can help others. To do this, I have to be a person who is flexible to other people's cultures and experience all I can. But everything was negated by leaders who believe females don't have a purpose other than being wives and mothers.

In my life, I have lived through many experiences. I will be the first generation to graduate from high school and go to college to fulfill my dreams. I work hard at everything I do, but without my mother, I couldn't even dream these things. Although I left most of my family in the refugee camp, I will be able to better my own life. My experiences of living in a refugee camp have opened my eyes. I am able to appreciate what I have at Grover High School and at home.

I am so pleased to participate to have a second chance in my life. I believe I am a role model for girls; my mother has inspired me to be a useful person in my life. She motivated me to work hard and influence others in a meaningful way. I believe that everyone deserve a chance in their life time, my mother will be part of me in my life she encouraged me and gave me a hope and I commit to honored her in my life.